Optical media typically come in the form of a round disc, which is spun in a drive device. The surface of the optical media is read by a laser device which moves radially about the disc as the disc spins to read data on the disc. Spin rates of the media have greatly increased since the original design. CD-ROM drives now have spin rates of 60 times the original spin rate. Such rates are still increasing.
High spin rates create destructive forces on optical media discs. If the discs have cracks or other structural integrity defects, they can break apart in the drive, destroying the disc, and harming the drive. The higher speed drives are both more expensive, and more likely to cause a disc to break apart, increasing the likelihood of catastrophic failure of both the disc and the drive.